Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

The fervor surrounding the sect competition gradually subsided, but the upward momentum within the Qingyun Sect remained undiminished.

The effects of the three major facilities—the Body Tempering Pool, the Scripture Pavilion, and the Lecture Platform—are becoming increasingly apparent. Disciples are making progress in their cultivation, their Daoist hearts are becoming more focused, and the entire mountain gate is radiating with vibrant energy.

But Shen Mo was not satisfied with this. The development of a sect is like the growth of a tree, which needs both deep roots (inheritance, disciples) and lush branches (resources, industries).

Now that the internal foundation is gradually stabilized, it is time to vigorously develop the "open source" approach.

On this day, as dawn broke and the thin mist lingered, Li Xiaocao, a quiet and gentle woman who usually tended to the medicinal herbs in her garden, arrived near the Body Tempering Pool as usual to collect several auxiliary herbs that preferred a cool and shady environment.

The morning dew dampened her skirt, but she was oblivious, carefully examining the herbs in the grass.

When she reached a corner near the mountain wall behind the Spirit Pool, a place rarely visited by people, she paused slightly.

She furrowed her brows slightly, squatted down, and gently brushed her fair fingers across the damp soil.

A faint yet strangely familiar fluctuation of spiritual energy emanated from the depths of the earth, somewhat similar to the vitality of the soil she felt every day when tending to the spiritual herbs, but even more restrained and mellow.

"The soil here..." Li Xiaocao murmured to herself, then carefully examined it for a moment, even pulling up an ordinary hemostatic herb to observe its root system.

She noticed that the soil in this area was darker in color and felt smoother and more moist. The hemostatic herb was also growing more vigorously than in other areas, with a well-developed root system.

"Could it be... that the soil below is particularly suitable for the growth of spiritual plants?"

This discovery made her heart beat slightly faster. She was in charge of cultivating spiritual herbs in the sect and knew very well what fertile land meant for the growth of spiritual herbs.

The existing medicinal garden area is limited, and the spiritual energy of the soil is only average. If we can open up new spiritual fields with better soil quality, it will be of great significance to the sect!

She dared not delay, immediately got up, and walked quickly toward the main hall of the sect leader to report the discovery to her senior brother, the sect leader.

"Oh? Is that so?" Shen Mo's eyes flashed with interest after hearing Li Xiaocao's description. He followed Li Xiaocao to the foot of the mountain wall and slowly probed the ground with his divine sense.

Initially, the soil and rocks were unremarkable.

However, as his divine sense penetrated deeper by several feet, Shen Mo keenly sensed that the rock structure below seemed somewhat abnormal. There was a hollow area with extremely faint, residual traces of wood-attribute spiritual energy. Although it was so faint as to be almost dissipated, it carried a sense of vicissitudes that had endured the passage of time.

This is definitely not something that formed naturally!

"System, scan the underground structure and residual energy in this area," Shen Mo silently commanded in his mind.

[Command received. Scanning... Scan complete.]

About three zhang underground, there are traces of artificial excavation, covering an area of ​​about two mu. Weak traces of decaying wood spiritual energy and residual fluctuations of array formations were detected, leading to the conclusion that it is the site of an abandoned spiritual herb garden, dating back approximately three to five hundred years.

The soil of the ruins, nourished by the remnants of spiritual arrays and the root systems of specific spiritual plants over a long period, contains a faint trace of earth energy, making it more fertile than ordinary spiritual soil; however, the spiritual energy is nearly depleted.

[Editable plot discovered: Former site of the Herb Garden.]

[Advanced Editing Option: 'Fertile Soil'. Effect: Significantly increases soil spiritual energy concentration and fertility, accelerates spiritual plant growth, and slightly increases the chance of spiritual medicine breakthroughs. Editing requires 8% of current reputation energy.]

Requires a core medium: a stable spiritual spring (or a water-attribute spiritual source of the same tier) for long-term irrigation and nourishment. Without this medium, the effect is halved and cannot be sustained.

"An abandoned herb garden? Fertile soil?" Shen Mo's heart skipped a beat! This was truly an unexpected delight! It seemed that the ancestors of the Qingyun Sect had indeed cultivated spiritual plants here, but it was later abandoned.

If the herb garden can be rebuilt and the "fertile soil" characteristic can be edited, the sect will have a stable source of low-grade pill raw materials, not only becoming self-sufficient but also able to trade with others, becoming an important source of revenue! This is undoubtedly a key part of the "open source" plan!

"Little Grass, you've done a great job!" Shen Mo looked at Li Xiaocao with admiration. "Underground here is indeed the site of an ancestral medicinal herb garden, the soil still retaining some of its original vitality. I intend to rebuild the herb garden here, and you will be fully in charge of this matter!"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiaocao's pretty face flushed with excitement, and she nodded vigorously: "Yes! Senior Brother Sect Leader! Xiaocao will do her utmost!"

The news quickly spread among the core disciples. Everyone was excited to hear that a new medicinal herb garden was to be established.

Su Xiao immediately began planning the necessary tools and fences, Zhao Qingyan pondered setting up protective and spirit-gathering formations, and Shi Tie rolled up his sleeves, ready to lead people to dig.

Even Han Lin was quite interested. He was experienced and had some knowledge of identifying medicinal herbs.

However, Shen Mo's next words poured "rational" cold water on everyone's enthusiasm: "Rebuilding the herb garden is not as simple as just turning over the soil. Although the soil here has earth energy, its spiritual energy is almost depleted. It needs to be irrigated with spiritual spring water for a long time to revitalize it and make it a truly fertile land."

"A spiritual spring?" Shi Tie scratched his head, puzzled. "Sect Leader, it seems that our Qingyun Mountain only has that cold pool on the back mountain. The water is cold enough, but if we use it to irrigate the land, won't it freeze all the spiritual herbs to death?"

The group exchanged bewildered glances; this was indeed a problem. Ordinary mountain streams were thinly imbued with spiritual energy, fine enough to irrigate ordinary crops, but their effect on irrigating spiritual plants was minimal.

Shen Mo already knew the key through the system. He glanced at everyone and said in a deep voice, "Ordinary water sources will not work. We need to find a spring that contains spiritual energy. This is the key to the success or failure of the herb garden, and it is also a test for us."

"Pass down the order: starting today, all disciples are to carefully search the area within Qingyun Mountain for any hidden springs, paying particular attention to places with clear, cool water and unusually lush surrounding vegetation. Anyone who discovers a clue will be awarded a major merit!"

"Yes!" The group accepted the order, their enthusiasm for exploration reignited.

Over the next few days, the disciples of Qingyun Sect searched almost the entire mountain. Their figures could be seen bending over and searching everywhere – in mountain streams, rock crevices, and deep within the forest.

Wang Hu almost fell into a hidden animal trap, and Zhang Daniu was chased all over the mountain by a swarm of wild bees. Amusing incidents occurred frequently, but they still came up empty-handed.

A spiritual spring that meets the requirements is not so easy to find.

Just when everyone was feeling discouraged, a turning point came from an unexpected person.

That evening, Li Xiaoyao, that rascal, once again swaggered to the foot of Qingyun Mountain, carrying a wine gourd in his hand. Zhang Daniu, the gatekeeper, was exasperated upon seeing him: "Oh dear, Fellow Daoist Li, what brings you here again? Today isn't a day for lecturing!"

Li Xiaoyao chuckled and stepped forward, saying, "Brother Zhang, don't be so formal! I'm not here to listen for nothing; I'm here to repay a debt of gratitude!"

"Last time, thanks to Fairy Su's words, my few dying 'Moonlight Grasses' were brought back to life. I must repay that favor! I heard you're looking for the Spirit Spring Water?"

Zhang Daniu asked skeptically, "Yes, the sect leader needs spiritual spring water to irrigate the herb garden. Do you know where to find it?"

"Hehe, coincidentally, I actually know a little bit about it."

Li Xiaoyao took a sip of wine with a smug look on his face. "I used to wander around these mountains all year round. Once, I chased a rare 'fox fox' and ran to the bottom of an extremely remote cliff in the back of the mountain. There, vines covered the sky, and the mist was thick. I could vaguely hear the sound of dripping water."

"I took a closer look and saw that a line of spring water was indeed seeping out of the stone wall. The water was sweet and had a very faint spiritual aura. It was just that the water flow was too small, like tears. I couldn't even fill a pot in a day, so I didn't pay much attention to it."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Daniu dared not delay and immediately led Li Xiaoyao up the mountain to report to Shen Mo.